New York: Day 2

Today I woke up feeling incredibly refreshed and ready for anything. We went out and found a diner—Juniors—for breakfast. I had an omelette with ham and hash potatoes and a cup of tea. It is very true that they give out big portions of food, but I got my money’s worth, as it cost $16. The food was lovely; the tea was not. Reminder to self: take a box of British tea bags next time I go to America.

A custom I’m not used to, however, is tipping. I am one of those people who like to squeeze every penny, but it is considered rude in America not to tip. It is something I am quickly getting used to. Everybody here has been so incredibly nice.

We started our day with a walk down to the National History Museum. As a special mention, I am very proud of my friend for not getting us lost. If I oversaw directions, I can guarantee we would be going around in circles. We had a look around the dinosaurs first, and took lots of photos and tourist photos inside. There was also a skeleton of a Titanosaurus that took up two rooms.

We also had a look at some masks and took some fun photos of us next to them, but we did get some strange looks. Well, I got some strange looks as I pulled a funny face and closed my eyes and my friend walked away. She always loves an opportunity to try and embarrass me. It’s good that I don’t embarrass that easily. I brought a few things from the gift shop, including a nice hoodie.

We then went out to find some lunch. There was a lovely little restaurant that made homemade pizza. They offered us free samples and it was delicious. We bought a slice each and had a rest.

I took this opportunity to check my phone. Now I know that UK phones don’t work very well in America, but all my apps, including my step counter, were working. Imagine my shock when I found out Pokémon go doesn’t work. When I was in the hotel, I managed to get some New York Eggs when I connected to the Wi-Fi though. I was not impressed when my friend announced she managed to catch a Pokémon I really wanted here. Google maps wasn’t working very well on my phone either. WhatsApp was fine, though, which is the main priority, as I could keep in touch with family. I messaged them all upon arriving to assure them that I was safe. But I am a bit dopey when it comes to remembering about the time difference. At this point we were losing battery power and I had run out of storage on my phone for photos, so we nipped back to the hotel for a bit. Of course, I took a nap.

We spent the evening taking our time and having a proper look around Times Square. We had a browse in some of the shops. I may have brought a couple of note books which now is my weakness, don’t judge me I’m on holiday. I did get a few souvenirs and had a look at some trainers in Sketchers—I am determined to get my first pair here. We had some tea at TGIFridays. This time we did get a little lost trying to find it. It was my fault, as I was sure we went past it the night before. I had a cheese burger while my friend had the chicken tenders. The atmosphere was great, it wasn’t to busy so we didn’t feel too rushed to eat our food and leave.

We got back to the hotel around nine. My feet were a little sore from walking around so much, but I’m sure I will get used to it. We had a quick chat before bed about our plan for tomorrow, and it looks like I’m having another great day.